Life-boat for submarines.



W. BROWN.

LIFE BOAT FOR SUBMARINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 5. 191a.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

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useful Improvements in Lite-Boats for Sub marines, of which the following is a speci- This invention relates to a lite boattor submarines and is adapted for: all under sea boats, being of the type that is mounted on the top of the submarine and has means I operated from inside the lifeboat for deall till

taching the life boat from the submarine so that the life heat can ascend by itself if the submarine is disabled or is for any reason prevented from coming to the surface.

, The invention" is designed to provide a lite boat which ismounted on the submarine in a manner to provide communicating passages betweenthe interior of the submarine itself and the interior of the lifeboat, such passages being adaptedto be closed and sealed against the entrance of water, the submarine and the lite boat inturn having contacting surfaces which prevent the entrance of water between the life boat and the submarineso that there is no likelihood of water entering this space so that the innercommunicating passages can be safely opened.

The invention is further designed to provide a lifeboat which is adapted to be comparatively steady when navigated alone,'the steadying or roll-preventing parts of the lite boat being also utilized as a part of the sealing or connectingparts of the life boat and the submarine. These depending walls or'sides, which prevent undue rolling of the lite boat, also act to prevent puncturing of the main hull'of the lite boat it it should come in contact withsubmerged obstacles or violently contact with any other object in the way.

The invention also provides a life boat which acts to hold and retain in place buoys which on the release of the life boat will ascend to the surface of the water .and mark the place of the submerged craft to enable it to be located. I v

The invention is further designed to provide a life boat in which the means for releasing it from the submarine is connected Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, l tt.

Application filed May 5, 1916, Seriallto. 95,556.

to the closure or passage through which access to the submarine is possible, this connection preventing the release of the life boat until .the door or other closure of this passage is shut, thus acting as a check or reminder so that-in haste, and sometimes in a panic in an attempted escape from the submarine, the chance of the'life boat being released while the passage is open is minimized and well nigh impossible,

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which-one form of life boat is shown as being mounted ona submarine.

ln said drawing, Figure 1 is a section through the life boat and showing a part of the top deck of a submarine. Fig. 2 is a section on line 2, 2, in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is. a detail view of the form of tasteningand releasing means shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and Fig. 4 is a section on line 45, 4:, in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a top view of a life boat detached to show the general form of the craft, and Fig. 6 is a modified form of fastening and releasing means.

In the drawing the part of the submarine illustrated is the upper deck and the type of boat shown has its upper deck consisting of an inner shell 10 and an outer shell 11, and on top of this deck is supported the life boat indicated in general by the numeral .12, and at a convenient point to communicate with the life boat are arranged openings in the top deck. In the form shown both said openings are provided with doors, the opening in the inner shell having a door 13 which is normally kept shut by any suitable fastening means 14, the opening in the outer shell being closed by a door .15, the door 15 being usually arranged to open upward and the door 13 to open downward so that in case the submarine is abandoned the door 15 can be closed from inside the life boat 12 so as to prevent the flooding of the abandoned submarine. The top deck is provided. with rests or ways 16 which are provided with a channel of the same-shape as the bottom of the submarine, these'channels being preferably lined with a lining 17 of heavy rubber or calking or other material, the channels in the it is tightly forced or pulled down, a sealing or closure is provided that revents leakage. Preferably arranged slightly above the bottom edge of these side walls is a bottom 21 which has the front plate 22 and side plates 23 connected with the outer skin or plates of the life boat so as to provide a chamber 24 which is the compartment of the life boat which is adapted to receive the persons to be rescued. The elevation of the bottom 21 aboy e the lower edges of the walls 18,19 and 20 acts as a safeguard against punctur ing of the bottom by contact with the shore or with submergedobjects, and also provides space for certain elements that it is desired to place between the bottom of the life boat and the top deck of the submarine. "F or instance, such space can be utilized for insuring the'safety of the propeller 25 which can be driven by any source of power not illustrated in the drawing, either by hydrocarbon engine, or can be driven manually, and to also provide spaces, such as the chamber 26, for the storage of a buoy 27 Which is thus held in place by the life boat and which is connected by a coil 28 of rope, chain or other flexible connection, with the submarine as at 29 so that when the life boat is released the buoy is also released and rises to the surface of the water. Other buoys, such as 30, can also be stored in the space between the life boat and the submarine in order to connect them individually or connect them by a common rope or chain to thesubmarine so as to insure their having sufficient lifting power to rise to the surface. of the water.

To securely fasten the life boat'on the submarine and to force it into close contact therewith so as to prevent leakage between the two, securing means are provided which can be released from the inside of the life boat, and one form of fastening means is shown in Figs. 1,2, 3 and 4. This consists of shafts 31 the desired number of which are fastened to the life boat and are rotatable therein. In the form shown this fastening is by means of screw-threads 32 which are arranged in the screw-threaded bosses 33 fastened to the bottom 21. Suitable stufling boxes 34 can be installed to prevent leakage. Handles 35 are arranged on the shafts 31 so that they can be turned from the inside of the life boat.- On the bottom of each shaft is arranged a locking bar 36 which is adapted to be swung so as to be locked underneath the projecting lips or tongues 37 of the blocks 38 which are fastened to a base plate 39. Each of the locking tongues is preferably provided on its lower face with an inclined part 40 to assist in seating the cross-bar 36, and in such seating, to pull downward on the life boat and cause a more positive seating in the ways 16. When the bar 36 is given a quarter turn, by means of the handles 35 on the shaft 31, the cross-bar will be placed parallel to. and between the blocks 38 and will permit the disconnection of the life boat and the submarine. In case the buoyancy of the life boat is not sufiicient to release it from the ways 16, either by reason of a long seating of the lifeboat in position, or through any other agency that might be sufficient to retard its floating from the submarine, a positive means for disconnecting it is provided by means of the screw-threaded rods 41, one of said rods being arranged in each of the shafts 31 and passing through it and projecting from the bottom of each shaft, each of said shafts 31 and rods 41 being screw-threaded andconnected as at 42 so that when the wheel or handle 43 at the top of a rod 41 is turned, after the cross-bar has been disconnected from the tongues 37, the pressure of said screw on the rod 41 will force the life boat away from the submarine and cause it to be freed so that it can rise to the surface. \Vhen it is freed the rod 41 can be screwed down to permit a gasket or washer 44 to engage the top of the shaft 31 and cause a closure to prevent leakage from between the rod 41 and theshaft 31.

The bottom 21 of the life boat is provided with an opening 45 preferably in line with the opening in the top deck of the submarine, and it is provided with a door 46 which preferably swings downward to a closed position and is clamped shut by any suitable clamping means 47. The door may be connected as by a bar 48 with a latch 49, which latch engages one -of the shafts 31 so that the shaft cannot be turned to release the life boat from the submarine until the latch is withdrawn and the withdrawal of the latch releases the door 46 so that it shuts. It actsas a reminder to any one about to release the life boat that the door 46 has not been shut and minimizes the probability of the door being left open, and in case a spring latch is provided for holding the door 46 shut it makes it impossible to release the life boat until the door 46 is closed. If desired, a suitable ladder 50 is provided which is a rope or folding ladder and has the end that will depend when it is released resting on top of the door 13, but when the door 13 is opened and swings downward, the ladder falls and hangs suspended, as shown in dotted outline, to provide a ready means for ascending to the life boat from the interior of the submarine.

In Fig. 6 is shown a modified form of fastening in which a screw-threaded bar 51 is mounted in the bearing or block 52 of the life boat and has its screw-threaded end 53 in connection with a screw-threaded boss 54 on the submarine, and also has a wheel or handle 55 by means of which it can be turned to either secure the life boat and the submarine together or to release the life boat from between the life boat and the submarine so as to force the life boat away from the submarine as soon as the fastening means has been released. Suitablelights or manholes 57 are installed at convenient places to provide light for the inside of the life boat and can also be utilized for permitting-ingress and egress to and from the life boat when it is on the surface, and if it is necessary to keep all man holes shut when the life boat is at the surface, a suitable valved pipe 58 can be utilized with or without a positively operating ventilating system for providing fresh air to the occupants of the life boat. A suitable rudder 59 is arranged so that it normally lies between the rear end 60 of the bottom 21 and the back wall 20, being held in raised position by a suitable latch 61, and when the latch is released after the life boat is freed, the rudder drops so that it projects from below the bottom of the wall 20 and when turned it aflects the direction of travel of the life boat sothat the life boat can be steered. The rudder is usually provided with any suitable form of operating mechanism, such as the handle 62.

lit will be evident that slight changes can be made in the construction of the parts, and furthermore, that conveniences can be installed in the life boat, which it is not necessary to show in the present illustration, such as provisions and other conveniences and navigation accessories which are ordinarily placed in such life boats as ordinary precautions against disasters.

Having thus. described my invention, I claim:

1. The combination of a submarine with a life boat mounted on the submarine, means for securing and releasing the lifeboat, the

submarine and the life boat having openings.

to allow communication between them, a closure for the opening in the life boat, and a connection to prevent the operation of the releasing means while the closure is open.

2. The combination of a submarine with a life boat mounted on the submarine, means for securing and releasing the life boat, the submarine and the life boat having openings to allow communication between them, a closure for the opening in the life boat, a latch on the releasing means to prevent its operation, and a connection between the latch and the closure to insure the closing of the opening in the life boat before the releasing means can be operated.

3. The combination of a submarine with a life boat mounted thereon, the life boat having a hull with depending walls, ways on the submarine to receive the walls, meansforcing the life boat in position on the ways, means for forcing the life boat from the ways, the life boat having an opening therein communicating with the submarine, a door for said opening, and a latch connected to the door, the latch being adapted to lock the means for holding the life boat in position while the door is open.

t. The combination of a submarine with a life boat, the. life boat having sides extending below the bottom of the hull of the life boat, and propelling means below said bottom and above the bottom edge of the sides.

5. The combination of a submarine with a life boat, the life boat having sides extending below the bottom of the hull of the life boat, and buoys attached to the submarine and normally resting in the space between the hull of the life boat and the submarine.

6. The combination of a submarine with a life boat, the life boat having sides extendthe bottom of the hull to fit on a submarine to form a water-tight joint and to prevent undue rolling when the life boat is afloat.

8. The combination of a submarine with a life boat, the life boat having a means for fastening it to the top of a submarine, and means passing through the fastening means and into the life boat for forcing the life boat from the submarine when the fastening means is released.

9. The combination of a submarine with a life boat, a'shaft projecting through the bottom of the life boat, a locking bar on the outer part of the shaft, a handle on the inner end of the shaft, tongues on the submarine under which the locliing bar can be swung, and means passing through the shaft, said means being adapted to force the life boat from the submarine when the looking bar is released.

10. The combination of a submarine with a life boat, a shaft projecting through the bottom of the life boat, a locking bar on the outer part of the shaft, a handle on the inner end of the shaft, tongues on the submarine under which the locking bar can be swung, a screw passing through the shaft and bearing against the submarine, and a handle on the inner end of the screw.

11. The combination of a submarine with a life boat, a shaft projecting through the bottom of the life boat, a locking bar on the outer part of the shaft, a handle on the inner end of the shaft, tongues on the submarine under which the locking bar can be swung, a screw passing through the shaft and bearing against the submarine, a handle on the inner end of the screw, a stufling box in which the shaft is incased, and a washer to In testimony hereto set my 1916.

that I claim the foregoing, I 10 hand, this 29th day of April,

WILLIAM BROWN. 

